UConn edges Cincinnati, reaches AAC tournament championship game

UConn coach Kevin Ollie gestures as he and an official watch during the second half of the Huskies’ 58-56 win over Cincinnati in the semifinals of the American Athletic Conference tournament on Friday in Memphis, Tenn.
Mark Humphrey — The Associated Press

• Coaching vs. a legend: Kevin Ollie has done a terrific job in his first two years at UConn’s helm. Few would dispute that. He’s 0-3 against Rick Pitino, but there’s no shame in that. Pitino’s Cardinals won the national title last year and certainly look like they’re primed to repeat this season. Would there be any extra value for Ollie to break through against Pitino on Saturday night?

“No, in all honesty,” said Jim Calhoun, a veteran of many past wars with Pitino. “My last four out of five trips against (Bob) Knight, I beat Knight. First time I ever faced him was very significant, because I’d known him, a couple of years older than me. He had been a hero. It was amazing for me…Bob Knight. But after a while…”

• UConn-Louisville, Part I (Jan. 18 at Storrs): Louisville wins 76-64. In an electric atmosphere in a Gampel Pavilion sellout and an ESPN College Gameday feature, Ollie was ejected about seven minutes into the latter half. Ollie was incensed that no foul had been called on a Niels Giffey shot attempt and got T’d up, then ejected, by referee Mike Stuart in a span of about five seconds. The Huskies trailed by nine points at the time, but would soon fall behind by as much as 16 after a barrage of Louisville free throws. Montrezl Harrell dominated all game with 18 points and 12 rebounds, while Husky-killer Russ Smith added 23. Shabazz Napier had 30 for UConn.

• UConn-Louisville, Part II (March 8 at Louisville): Louisville wins 81-48. In both teams’ AAC regular-season finale, the Cardinals handed UConn its worst loss in 22 seasons. UConn could simply do nothing against Louisville’s extensive 2-3 zone, or stop Harrell, who had 20 and 11. Smith decided to be a distributor, taking just two shots but doling out 13 assists.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. >> Shabazz Napier might be the American Athletic Conference Player of the Year, much to Sean Kilpatrick’s chagrin.

But in an AAC tournament semifinal game Friday night, Kilpatrick had a chance to send the game into overtime and missed. And it’ll be Napier and UConn facing red-hot Louisville for the championship game on Saturday night.

Napier missed the second of two free throws with 11.1 seconds left and UConn clinging to a 58-56 lead. Kilpatrick, who said two days earlier that he’s used his perceived snub as motivation, drove to the lane in the final seconds. But his layup attempt rimmed in and out at the buzzer and UConn held on for the 58-56 win.

Napier finished with 15 points, but it was Ryan Boatright and Niels Giffey who were the players of the game for UConn. And the Huskies’ swarming team defense played a major role, as well.

Boatright and Giffey each hit a pair of key 3-pointers over the final 13:42 of play, a stretch over which the Huskies turned a seven-point deficit into their eventual two-point win. Over one nearly 12-minute stretch, UConn held the Bearcats to as many field goals (two) as shot-clock violations.

The Bearcats led 41-34 after a Shaquille Thomas 10-footer with 14:06 left to play, and they seemed in control of the game. Their stifling defense was reducing UConn’s offense largely to one shot and done, and that one shot was often a poor one. Meanwhile, Cincy grabbed seven offensive rebounds in the first 10 minutes of the latter half and converted several of them into points.

But Giffey hit a corner 3-pointer with 13:42 left, kicking off a 9-0 UConn run that was slow (it took more than four minutes) but effective. Boatright capped it with a 3-pointer, and after Cincy’s Troy Caupain countered with a driving layup, Boatright hit another trey with 7:49 left to put the Huskies up three.

Neither team scored for the next two minutes, until, off a long inbounds pass from under the basket from Boatright, Giffey knocked down another trey.

Paced by the hot hands of DeAndre Daniels and Giffey, UConn got off to a fast start and led 21-16 just after the midway point of the first half. Then, Amida Brimah picked up a curious flagrant foul under his own basket, and the Bearcats responded with a 15-4 run over the next eight minutes of play.

Daniels stemmed the tide with a jump hook with 1:20 left, but Phil Nolan picked up his third foul with just 3.2 seconds left in the half, and though Cincy’s Justin Jackson missed both free throws, it was a tough blow to UConn’s already thin front line.

Over the final 9:57 of the half, the Huskies scored just two field goals (they also got two points on a Jackson goaltend of a Napier layup attempt).